Social media and mental health: The facts behind the headlines

Social media: is it good or bad for our mental health?

We’ve been swamped with headlines talking about how damaging platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are to young people’s wellbeing. But the fact is there’s a lack of research – and social media is constantly developing.

In this episode, we delve into some of these questions with James, who became a mental health campaigner after his own experience of OCD and eating disorders, and Amy, a research psychologist who’s looking into the effects of social media and technology on human interaction, wellbeing and relationships.

Together we talk about the pros and cons of using social media, how we can make sure research keeps up with the ever-evolving social media platforms, the effects of screen time on young people and the possibility of regulating social media use in future.

We also question how responsible social media companies are for protecting the mental health of their users – and what we can all do to make sure we have a more positive experience online.

Listen, like and subscribe to our MQ Open Mind podcast on iTunes or Podbean, or listen to this episode below.